as in partial
inclined to favor one side over another
a shamelessly partisan reporter covering the primary campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also partizan
1
as in adherent
one who follows the opinions or teachings of another
partisans of the charismatic leader refuse to tolerate any criticism of him at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in militant
one who is intensely or excessively devoted to a cause
a partisan of the revolution who was even willing to give her life for it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sectarian
one who stubbornly or intolerantly adheres to his or her own opinions and prejudices
she's too much of a political partisan to ever concede that the other side might have a valid point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of partisan
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Commissioners Alexis Pickering and Dave McKinney haven’t run for office in a partisan race or otherwise publicized their party affiliations.
—Mark Dee
april 4, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Like most of the foreign intelligentsia, such as Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, and the New York Times correspondent Herbert Matthews, all of whom had come to Madrid to cover the war, Martha arrived in Spain a passionate partisan.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Adjective
While the public has at times responded to breaches of their constitutional rights, efforts remain fragmented and often partisan.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Commissioners Alexis Pickering and Dave McKinney haven’t run for office in a partisan race or otherwise publicized their party affiliations.
—Mark Dee
april 4, Idaho Statesman, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
Millions of Democrats in Texas, Republicans in California and partisans in other states have been effectively disenfranchised, their voices rendered mute.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Like most of the foreign intelligentsia, such as Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, and the New York Times correspondent Herbert Matthews, all of whom had come to Madrid to cover the war, Martha arrived in Spain a passionate partisan.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for partisan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for partisan
Adjective
-
One person has died, and two people are missing after a partial collapse at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia parking garage under construction in the city's Grays Ferry neighborhood Wednesday.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The Hickman Mills School District will welcome several new faces to its school board in the coming weeks, along with a new source of partial relief to the multimillion-dollar debt plaguing the district.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Leftism thus constitutes an ongoing search for new causes to fight on behalf of, in a way that mobilizes adherents and creates solidarity among them.—
Bradley Gitz,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Both romantic trends have adherents who spin their retreat from status quo romance as a kind of liberation from modern expectations, and who position their marital arrangement as the logical extension of a deeper political project.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pakistan often accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Israeli forces have conducted airstrikes that have killed Hezbollah militants.—
Ryan Mancini,
The Hill,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Iraqi prime minister at the time, Nuri al-Maliki, was a Shiite sectarian with close ties to Iran, and many of his fellow Shia thought he could be relied on to listen to Iran’s wishes and find a way to avoid clashing with an Iranian proxy militia.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Both sides insist the other initiated the initial volley of gunfire that killed four agents and six sectarians.—
Joshua Alston,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
-
Callers told police that after a brief and seemingly hostile interaction with the occupants of the vehicle, the individual left school property and was last seen walking onto Ryan Lane from Edwards Avenue.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
From a technical standpoint, the stock appears to be stabilizing at support just as the macro backdrop becomes less hostile to large-cap technology.—
Tony Zhang,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For his followers, blaspheming the Holocaust and celebrating Hitler became a way to signal contempt for the political religion of postwar liberalism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
In the Christian faith, the lamb is symbolic of innocence and the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for his followers.—
Eric Henderson,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Through gestures big and small, Bruce Friedrich conforms to the archetype of a lifelong anti-meat crusader.—
Andrew Zaleski,
The Atlantic,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Anti-porn crusaders of all ilks also hijacked the news of Radvinsky’s passing for their various pro-censorship agendas.—
Gustavo Turner,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Among the participants were socialists, ex-royalists, liberals, feminists, and nationalists.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Encouraged and aided by independent neighbours, Guinean nationalists took up arms in 1962 and after 10 years of fighting expelled the Portuguese from three-quarters of Portuguese Guinea.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Partisan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/partisan. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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